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Country Music Roundup: Sturgill Simpson nominated for Album of the Year Grammy

This post has been updated with predictions about who will win the country categories of the 2017 Grammys.

This Week’s News

The nominees for the 2017 Grammys were released Tuesday. They were full of the usual suspects (Adele, Beyonce, Drake) and some serious head-scratchers (Justin Bieber in the “Album of the Year” category”; David Bowie’s omission in the same group). But one of the most shocking aspects of this year’s nominations was all of the attention given to Sturgill Simpson, and in the country category, no less.

“I loved ‘Lemonade.’ I thought it was genius. I love the Adele record. I really, really wish, honestly, and no [expletive] — I would’ve liked to see Frank Ocean’s name where mine is,” Simpson told the Times.

Simpson was last nominated at the 2015 Grammys in the Americana category for “Metamodern Sounds in Country Music,” an album that sounds more “country” than the rollicking, Dap King-laced sounds on “Sailor’s Guide,” but Simpson was included in the country category for this year’s awards.

“Just being nominated in that field — I’m trying to maintain some perspective. I’d resigned myself months ago that nothing like this was going to happen and was totally O.K. with that,” Simpson said in the Times.

Simpson also said he might have to miss the entire ceremony, which will be aired live on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. Central.

“My wife and I have our second child on the way, due any time in the first two weeks of February…I would love to be [at the Grammys], but I’m not going to miss a birth for it.”

He also said he might have to tour more now, since he was included on a list of more well-known musicians.

“But it might be a good idea to go play some shows again, I don’t know, given how many millions of people are saying, ‘Who the [expletive] is Sturgill Simpson?’ as of this morning.”

Other nomination categories that country music/Americana artists appear in are as follows, along with my picks for who will win:

Best country solo performance:

“Love Can Go to Hell” — Brandy Clark

“Vice” — Miranda Lambert- Maren Morris may be a crowd favorite, and recently won New Artist of the Year at the 2016 CMAs, but she’ll probably win that category here, too. Which leaves this category wide open for Lambert.

“My Church” — Maren Morris

“Church Bells” — Carrie Underwood

“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban

Best American roots performance:

“Ain’t No Man” — The Avett Brothers

“Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time” — Blind Boys of Alabama

“Factory Girl” — Rhiannon Giddens

“House of Mercy” — Sarah Jarosz

“Wreck You” — Lori McKenna- This one will be between McKenna and Giddens. But I’m thinking this plaintive ballad will add on to her CMA win for Song of the Year.

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

“Cinema” — Andrea Bocelli

“Fallen Angels” — Bob Dylan

“Stages Live”— Josh Groban

“Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin” — Willie Nelson- Given the competition, this could come down to Nelson and recent Nobel prize winner Dylan. But, here’s hoping for the Red-headed Stranger.

“Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway” — Barbra Streisand

Best country duo/group performance

“Different For Girls” — Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King

“21 Summer” — Brothers Osborne- This is what should win, although Dierks Bentley could show some competition and the voters might have gone with the legacy tribute for Dolly.

“A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” — Sturgill Simpson- The biggest victory for Simpson was to just get nominated for Album of the Year, which, with competition from Adele and Beyonce, he probably won’t win. He has a much bette shot here, although Clark could give him a run for his money.

“Ripcord” — Keith Urban

Best roots gospel album

“Better Together” — Gaither Vocal Band

“Nature’s Symphony In 432” — The Isaacs

“Hymns” — Joey+Rory– The Grammys have an opportunity to honor an album the the CMAs completely ignored.

This Week’s Best New Song

“With You I Am” is the first official music video from Cody Johnson‘s “Gotta be Me” album. When the video was released last week, it hit more than 1.6 million views on Facebook in less than 24 hours (now at a little more than 3 million views) and it’s almost at 100,000 views on Youtube.

This Week’s Worst New Song

Kane Brown, the so-called “Justin Bieber” of country music, recently released his eponymous debut album. I haven’t heard the whole thing. “What Ifs” and “Thunder In the Rain”, while not horrible, are not country in the slightest. “What Ifs” sounds like Avicii crossed with bro-country two years too late. But the YouTube star’s rap-singing cadence actually helps with the soul-searching “Learning,” about Brown’s tough upbringing in East Tennessee.

If you missed Amanda Shires this year at the Austin City Limits Festival because you had to choose between her or Willie Nelson, you’re in luck. Shires will be back in Austin this Friday at the Texas Union Theater at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20-$25.The Lubbock-raised Shires is touring to support her new album, “My Piece of Land,” released in September.

This is the Country Music Roundup, a weekly blog where we’ll give you the latest news in country music releases and local country shows. For a more in-depth analysis of the genre and where it’s headed, check back with our weekly Gone Country blog every week.